Sarah Palin will not run for president. She made the announcement in a letter to supporters Wednesday night.

Read Palin’s letter here:

October 5, 2011Wasilla, AlaskaAfter much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

Thoughts?

Update 2 – 6:43 PM: Here’s audio of Levin reading her statement as well as him interviewing her on his show about her decision.

Looks like the MSM has claimed another scalp. However, I don’t blame her. Sarah has been the target of some pretty violent fantasies, and I have no doubt that someone would have tried to live them out.

I think this is good news for the GOP. Sarah noted that she could be more effective in helping to elect other true public servants to office. Well said. Let’s start with winning back the Senate. Control of that body could come down to George Allen vs. Tim Kaine. If so, maybe Sarah could help to control the one thing that could tank that race … http://ow.ly/6OIxY

The news makes me sad. I have been a Palin supporter since long before she was nominated for the VP slot. I will still support her, and depending on the nominee could conceivably write her in. I can do that since I live in a solid blue state. This may feel like the end, but in reality this is just the beginning.

Good, and I say that as someone who would’ve gladly voted for her. Honestly, she has the time to make a go of it years down the line, so why bother now? Also, it seems to me she could do far better for herself making speeches and getting paid good money for it. I’d rather do that than have the back-breaker of running for president.

As much as I like her, I think the steady barrage of hate, smears, and innuendo from the left during the past three years would have doomed her candidacy, so I’m glad she’s not running. As Phineas said, it will have to be “someday”.

Now, if there’s a new, successful conservative administration elected next year, and she can join it in some capacity and show some achievement of the sort she made as Alaska governor, then I think some of the PDS will fade and she’ll have a legitimate shot in 2020.

From what I’ve seen Sarah Palin isn’t driven by personal ambition, she’s driven by purpose and unselfish reasons. Soldiers and police officers recognized this trait in her almost immediately. She’s the natural born leader that is absolutely instrumental in accomplishing the mission and is unafraid of putting her own ass on the line if that’s what the mission requires. We’ve seen it all along. When she says she doesn’t need a title she absolutely means it. All she wanted all along was to be in a position to be effective and she certainly has done that. I don’t think the Washington pundits have ever understood this about her because it’s so rare in the Beltway these days. She’s not going anywhere except to places where she’s needed the most.

As she noted, she can be much more effective behind the scene instead of in front of the cameras because she is such a target for the LSM.

Good on her, and (God forbid) if Duh-1 is re-elected and our country makes it through that four years, maybe enough of the dunderheads will have wised up by then (starvation and joblessness are great motivators) and can see the value of having someone with her moxie in the WH.

Of course, at this point I’m hoping Cain can survive the viciousness he’s about to get from the LSM and ends up in the WH in 2013.

I nominate Sarah Palin to clean up DOUE! She can change it from the Dept of UnEnergy back to the Dept of Energy. She cleaned up Alaska’s Energy Dept before running for Governor… I see a natural path from Energy to President for her… Plus we as a nation would gain jobs with a robust drilling policy! Win Win!

I am not her biggest fan, but I did think she would have made a good VP. While it bothered me that she quit her post as governor, I do realize that turning down the McCain campaign would have been a black eye for McCain in a tight race. I think her time will come, but she needs more experience in lion-taming before trying it in the Robbing Brothers and Bungling BS Circus in DC.